Shanon Davis, Director of the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce, announced her resignation effective February 22nd, after eight years of service and five years of leadership. She will assist the Board of Directors with the transition. Davis is leaving the Chamber to take the position of Marketing Manager with Central Peninsula Hospital.
During her tenure, Davis championed collaboration and inclusiveness, working with other community leaders to improve quality of life and help make Soldotna an economic and cultural development driver on the Peninsula.
Shanon Davis explains the reason for departing the chamber;
“In making the decision to leave the chamber was certainly probably one of the most difficult of my life but, I had to look at the impacts that the hospital has on Soldotna. Central Peninsula Hospital plays a vital role not only in our citizens health and wellness but, also in our economies. So, I’m just I’m thrilled to be joining a team of such a renowned organization and I’m excited to start telling their story but, gosh it’s hard to leave the chamber, I love Soldotna so much so I’m looking at this as just an opportunity to expand on that stay involved with the community, while also just really embracing this new challenge.”
Davis first worked for Soldotna Chamber as Visitor Center Coordinator in 2002. In 2005 she became the Executive Director of the Kenai Peninsula Tourism Marketing Council before returning to the Soldotna Chamber in 2017 to take on the Director role.
Under her leadership, the Chamber formed its 501c3 charitable arm, Vision Soldotna. She led efforts to win the Levitt AMP Soldotna grant from the Levitt Foundation from 2019 through 2025, growing music in the park to a 13-week free concert series that hosts an average of 1,200 attendees every Wednesday throughout the summer.
Davis also oversaw the administration of the “Holding Our Own” Shop Local program in 2020 and 2021, distributing over $650K in shopping vouchers to holiday shoppers and the same amount in COVID relief funds to Soldotna Businesses. She oversaw the launch of the Chamber’s new state-of-the-art website in 2021 and executed a $250K marketing campaign on behalf of the City of Soldotna to boost Soldotna’s economy as businesses navigated the negative impacts of the COVID pandemic.
Davis will continue to serve on the Soldotna Riverfront Redevelopment Advisory Committee and plans to stay active in community development and events.
“When I began having discussions with the hospital about making the move it was really important to me that I could stay involved with the community and they immediately told me that they are thrilled with the idea of CPH being active and things that are thriving Soldotna. So, I have been serving on the advisory committee for the Soldotna riverfront redevelopment project and I will continue to do so, I have received permission not only from CPH but also from the City of Soldotna itself. Certainly I can imagine because I know the staff here so well, I’m going to be one of the first people that they call to volunteer at every single event that we have in Soldotna and I will also be the first person to raise my hand and say yes. So, just to you know being out in the community being at chamber luncheons being at the progress days parade being at Wednesday in the park, I pretty much I’m still going to see everybody just as often as I did before just with a new hat on.”
The Soldotna Chamber, according to Davis, is in great shape moving into the future.
“Without any ego, that I think that the chamber is in the best position that it has ever been in it is so solid with phenomenal board of directors, the staff here is outstanding, we have a wonderful relationship with the City of Soldotna. So, it’s in a perfect position to be poised to take everything to the next level in involvement with the riverfront redevelopment project, all of the other exciting things the new Sports Complex that’s going in. I just really can’t think of a more wonderful things to say about where the chamber is at and where Soldotna is a whole is that, we’re just a community that is thriving.”
President of the Soldotna Chamber Board of Directors, Jerry Herring, says “The Executive Committee of the Soldotna Chamber Board is working on replacement options for the Executive Director position.
Shanon Davis explains the process for recruiting her replacement;
“The board of directors, the executive committee of the board of directors is currently working to find my replacement and I know that we have some excellent candidates, and they will be excited to share that information hopefully very soon.”
